Embracing The Shadows
by lingeringmelodies
Summary: Will very closely follow season 1, but with a Clary/Alec pairing
1. Chapter 1

Alec pretended to be perusing the assortment of magazines on the shelves behind the counter at the tiny produce stall, his adrenaline pumping as he the demon he was hunting passed by behind him. Directly behind Alec's back, the demon stopped and turned from side to side, as if it sensed the danger around it.

He knew the demon couldn't see him through his invisibilty glamour, but it didn't stop him from wanting to take the threat out right then and there. But that wasn't the mission tonight. The demon was insignificant. The goal here was to find out who was killing mundanes and draining them of blood. That was the only thing of importance to the Clave. Once they had the information they need, then if they had to take out a demon or two, well... He smirked to himself.

Once the demon resumed his path, walking away from Alec, he turned and followed. His heart pumped rapidly in his chest, the thrill of the Hunt pumping through his veins. Protecting the humans from the demons, this was what he was trained for. Being in the role of acting head of the Institute was the job he'd been given by his parents, but Hunting, killing demons, that was what he'd been born to do.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts he almost missed seeing the demon slow and turn to look over his shoulder, barely jumping up out of sight before the monster could spot him. Up on an overhang between two buildings, he nodded to his sister as she took up the tracking. He jumped again, onto the roof of the building closest to him and followed silently.

Isabel stood from her crouch as the demon passed under the overhang she currently stood upon and turned to peer over the other side, crouching down once again. She pulled out her stele, running it over a rune on her forearm to activate it, before standing and running across to jump to the roof of the next building to better follow the demon below. She loved being a Shadow Hunter almost as much as she loved her fashion, from the platinum wig on her head, to the heels on her feet.

Isabel watched as the demon bumped into a man dressed in a track suit and suddenly became an exact double of the man. This was what made tracking this particular type of demon so challenging, and so much fun. Ravener demons could change shape at will. Take on the form of anyone, or anything, it came into contact with. When her other brother came into view, Isabel nodded his way, indicating the track suited man below them.

Jace Wayland watched the man cross below him and turned to watch the other side, smirking when the demon bumped into a woman in a sexy dress and became her evil twin. At least this form was more appealing than the last. He nodded as his sibling join him on the overhang and they nimbly flipped back down to the ground, Jace landing in a crouch, one knee to the ground, before rising and following the woman.

The entrance to Pandemonium came into view and Jace's smirk widened. Everyone in the Shadow World knew about Pandemonium. It was one of the hottest clubs in all of Brooklyn. It even catered to mundanes, which was what drew demons to the place. Of course, Jace knew that with his Invisibilty glamour on place, no mundane was even going to notice his presence this evening. Which was why he was taken completely off guard when he bumped into a short little red head and she immediately called him out on it.

"Hey, can you watch where you're going?" she demanded in a quietly indignant voice.

Jace stopped abruptly and turned to really look at the girl. She was short, really short, and she was staring right at him. "You can see me?" he asked in disbelief.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own TMI or it's characters, nor do I own the amazing show based on the books.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed.

Now on with the story!

Clary walked down the sidewalk, turning as she came to the steps leading up to the Brooklyn Academy of Art building. She turned toward the stair and paused, taking a deep breath, as she tried to push down the butterflies churning in her stomach. Her entire future was about to be determined when she walked through those doors. She climbed the stairs quickly, not giving herself a chance to chicken out, and stepped through the doors, trying to put on an air of confidence.

Finding the right room, she faltered for an instant, taking in the expanse of space she would have to traverse in order to reach the table and the three people who would either make her lifelong dream come true, or crush those same dreams into dust at her feet. The nerves rushed through her again and she had to force her feet to close the distance to the there, she turned to look back at the door. Then, steeling herself, she closed the rest of the gap, pasting a smile on her lips as she sat uncomfortably in the chair, placing her portfolio on the table.

"Hi, I'm... Clary Fray," she said, introducing herself self-consciously. She opened the portfolio and took out three drawings, placing one in front of each person seated across from her. She tried to read their expressions as they examined the drawings she's given them, looking for any sign, be it good or bad, of what they thought of her work.

"This landscape is very... decorative," the woman in the middle states, sounding decidedly unimpressed.

"I wasn't really going for decorative." Clary felt her as if a boulder just landed in her stomach as she suddenly saw her hopes of pursuing her dream sinking. Could that comment have been any more demeaning? Was her work that bad? Clary had always loved her art. It was the one thing in her life she could always count on to be a constant. She'd thought she was fairly good at it. Had she been deluding herself all this time?

"What are those?" the woman asked, indicating the cover of Clary's portfolio.

"Those...nothing. Just um..." Oh no, why was she focusing on that? Clary groaned inwardly. She and Simon had been toying with the idea of doing a graphic novel together. Why, oh why, had she done the drawings on her portfolio? It was bad enough that this woman wasn't impressed with her work, but to have to admit to the people who were deciding whether she'd get to go to the college she wanted... God this was so embarrasing. There was no way she'd ever get in now!

The woman took the portfolio out her arms, and the three admissions people in front of her all taking in the drawings. God how embarassing! "Oh, um...just some... ideas... for a graphic novel I'm drawing with a friend. Really, it...it's just there by mistake."

"The Brooklyn Academy of Art doesn't believe in mistakes," the same woman stated condescendingly.

Clary walked into the coffee shop with a frown on her face and a dejected shrug of her shoulders to Simon as she walked over to his table.

"Give me the Professors' names and I... I will end them," Simon vowed, earning him a what-the-heck look from Clary. "You know, with... with a scathing letter to the dean," he clarified quickly.

Clary slumped into the seat across from him and set her portfolio on the table. "Don't bother," she said, tossing a folded up letter in front of him.

Simon picked it up, examining the Congratulations letter. "Whaaaat? Sad face. Really?" he asked as Clary giggled happily. "Well played. Well played," he praised her giving her a fist bump.

"Thank you. You know, it's weird. They kinda liked my assigned work, but they flipped out over the drawings for our graphic novel," Clary told him happily.

"You're welcome," Simon grinned.

"This day will go down in history as the greatest 18th birthday I ever had," Clary enthused, a huge grinning on her face.

"Which is why we are celebrating tonight. Yes, with Maureen after our show." Simon informed her, as the waitress places their coffees and the complimentary biscotti down in front of them.

"Absolutely. Soooo, what's the deal with you and Maureen?" Clary asked. It was obvious to everyone just how much Maureen was crushing on him. It was inevitable that the two would become a couple. Clary wasn't really sure why it hadn't happened yet.

"What Deal? No deal," Simon answered, looking a bit confused as Clary absentmindedly set her biscotti down on the table. "we sing together."

"You seriously don't know she's been crushing on you this whole time?" Clary asked. How could Simon not have seen it?

"What? No. N...no," Simon answered, the disbelief showing clearly on his face.

"Simon, how can someone as smart and perceptive as you not realize that the person sitting right there is in love with you?" she asked, amused that he was so blind to the obvious.

"Guarantee you I'm not the only smart, perceptive person to make that mistake," Simon replied, looking into her eyes for some sign that she'd recognize the irony of her words.

Clary just offered him a small smile before looking down at the table in confusion. "That's a latte," Simon told her pointing at her drink.

"But I could have sworn I had a biscotti," Clary said, the confusion thick in her voice.

"Maybe you ate it really fast and didn't even notice," Simon suggested. "Happens to me all the time. When I'm happy, when I'm sad..." making Clary giggle. "But, I'll replace your mythical biscotti with an actual one," he said, offering her his own.

"Thank you," Clary said happily.

"You know what, here's to you. L'chaim," Simon said, raising his coffee cup to hers.

"L'chaim," Clary echoed, a wide grin on her face. She loved everything about Simon. He was the best friend anyone could ever ask for. She giggled softly, taking a sip of her drink as she looked back down at the table. When had she drawn a sketch of a biscotti on the tablecloth? she asked herself silently.

Clary was grinning happily as she walked the streets of Brooklyn, heading home. She couldn't wait to tell her mother she'd gotten into the Academy. She bounded up the stairs and into her mother's antique shop, grinning at the woman behind the counter, playing with a deck of tarot cards.

"Hey Dot," she greeted, setting her bag down against the front of the counter.

"Hey," Dot called back.

"How's your future looking?" Clary teased.

"Not as good as yours," Dot answered. "The tarot cards tell me you got into the advanced program."

"And by the tarot cards, you mean Simon's Twitter account?" Clary probed.

"Ok, I follow him," Dot admitted. "Turns out predicting the future with tarot cards is very complicated," Dot said, turning over the ace of cups. "But, I do see a Birthday present in your future," she said, lifting a bag from behind the counter and placing it on the counter.

"Dot," Clary said, surprised.

"Ok, open it," Dot said excitedly as Clary pulled a shirt out of the bag.

'Wow," Clary said, admiring the top.

"Yeah, you mind want to keep that on the dl 'cause your mom's my boss and I don't want her to flip out," Dot suggested.

"yeah, but that's how I know it's cool," Clary retorted as they both giggled. "You know you're way better at gift giving than magically predicting the future."

"Nothing magical about it, I just buy the things that I'd want to wear," Dot explained fondly. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you," Clary said, hugging the woman.

"I love you, Clary," Dot said .

"I love you, too," Clary replied. "You ok?"

"Yeah. Yeah, happy birthday," Dot stammered. "Go up and see your mom."

Clary nodded and gathered her things before climbing the stairs to the loft she shared with her mother.

"Mom," Clary called as she entered the living area."

"You did it, Yay!" Jocelyn squealed.

"You also follow Simon," Clary stated.

"He only has 92 followers, he needs the retweets," Jocelyn defended. "Congratulations!" She hugged Clary tightly.

"Thank you #stalkermom," Clary teased, grinning at her mom affectionately.

Jocelyn handed Clary a gift. "Happy birthday."

Clary took the gift and they sat on the couch as she opened it, revealing a long silver object that looked very unusual. She took it out of the box, examining the markings on it. "It's called a stele," Jocelyn told her.

"What is it, a paperweight?" Clary asked curiously.

"No, it's... much more than that," Jocelyn answered. "It's very ancient. I want you to have it. It's a family heirloom."

Clary giggled. "We Frays have heirlooms?" she asked.

"A few," Jocelyn answered seriously.

"You know what's weird, I doodled something that looked like this this morning," Clary said, tracing one of the strange markings. "I must have seen this around the house somewhere." The object felt strangely familiar in his hands, almost as though it belonged in her grasp. "It's Simon. He's on his way over."

"But, we need to talk," Jocelyn protested.

"I can't right now, I gotta change. I'm going to see Champagne Enema tonight," Clary said.

"What?" Jocelyn protested.

"Yeah, I know, it's the new band name. But Simon and Maureen are taking me out after."

"But, it's... it's your eighteenth birthday and, uh... everything's gonna change for you now," Jocelyn protested again.

"Mom, we've had the talk," Clary teased.

"But, we need to have a much different and more important talk," Jocelyn said urgently.

"And we will, but can it be over breakfast, alright? I love you" Clary requested, hugging her mom and kissing her forehead. She turned and headed to her room to change. "Thank you for the heirloom. I love you," she called over her shoulder.

Clary sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. The top looked good on her, but it might be a little too see through for her mother's tastes. She grabbed her green hoodie and pulled it on, pulling the zipper up high enough to hide the top from parental eyes. With another sigh she took the heirloom out of the box and tucked it in the pocket of her hoodie.

Clary came out of her room and grinned. "Hi, Luke! What's up?" she greeted the man she considered a father. She'd known Luke for as long as she could remember. He was her mom's best friend and her only father figure since she never knew her real father.

"Hey!" Luke greeted back. He pointed toward her portfolio. "Incredible drawings."

"Oh, thanks," Clary replied.

"And, I got you these," Luke added, pulling a packed out of his bag and placing it on the table. It looked like a soda container. "Spraypaint."

"Oh, they're perfect," Clary breathed, reaching for the cans.

"If I catch any of that paint on city walls, I will arrest you," Luke teased.

"The paint is for Simon's van. I'm insisting they rename the band," Clary answered, sharing a knowing look with Jocelyn.

"Oh, yes, please," Jocelyn agreed.

"Yeah."

"Did your mom talk to you about that?" Luke asked, pointing at the stele that was sticking out of her pocket.

"The heirloom, yeah," Clary answered, pulling it out of her pocket. It's beautiful."

"Clary, you're eighteen now," Luke began.

"What is with you guys," Clary interrupted. "I'm turning eighteen, it's not like I'm heading off on some epic journey."

"But you are!" Simon rebutted, entering the loft. "See, we are going to Lombardi's to celebrate your birthday after our gig."

"You should come back here after," Jocelyn suggested. "The city's not that safe right now."

"Uh, thanks, mom, but we're set," Clary answered, grabbing the paints.

"Yeah, but we... we'll take a rain check," Simon agreed as he followed Clary. He stopped and turned around. "Wait! Do I smell chicken cacciatori?"

"Simon... your gig," Clary pointed out.

"Oh, you're singing," Luke commented.

"Yes, big gig. And by big, I mean not so," Simon grinned. Luke chuckled.

Jocelyn hugged Clary tightly to her. "Loosing circulation," Clary protested.

"Breakfast, you and me, tomorrow, promise?" Jocelyn urged.

"Yup. Mom? Uh mom? Mom, you have to let me go. I'm biologically and legally an adult."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," Jocelyn said softly.

"Shall we?" Clary asked, handing Simon the paints and hopping onto his back as they headed out.

"My mom is so overprotective lately," Clary complained.

"Do you remember in Aliens when the alien queen was defending her eggs from Ripley?" Simon asked.

"In this scenario, is my mom Ripley or the alien queen?" Clary asked.

'Both," Simon answered.

"What?" Maureen asked in disbelief.

"A mother defending her young," Simon explained.

"Defending me from what? I spend my whole day in an art studio. My life couldn't be more mundane." Clary pointed out. "Besides, I really don't know much about when she was young."

"Just do what I do, and get all the dirt from your relatives," Maureen suggested.

"Well, I would if I could, but she doesn't have any," Clary answered. "And my, my dad died before I was born.

"So you have no one? No uncles, no aunts, no... third cousins twice removed?" Maureen asked.

"Nope. Just me and my mom," Clary replied.

"That's why we the Lewis clan has added three extra chairs to every sadir. One for Clary, one of Jocelyn and one for Elijah," Simon explained.

"You guys don't think that's a little bit suspicious," Maureen asked. "You not knowing anything about your family? Your mom could be hiding some deep, dark secret."

"Maureen, it's not possible," Clary insisted.

"No, no, think about it."

"No, seriously. My mother isn't capable of concealing anything from me."

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own tmi or Shadowhunters

Back a few days early with this update. longest update yet. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 3

"Isabelle, let's go" Alec called as he exited his room. His adrenaline always started pumping when he was about to partake in a Hunt.

Isabelle exited her room wearing a white leather halter top and matching short skirt, and carrying a wig in her right hand. "Hey there, big bro," she greeted him as she walked down the hall toward him.

Alec arched a brow as he took in her attire. "Really?" he asked dryly.

"What can I say?" she replied as they headed out. "Demons dig blondes."

"Of course they do. That's white," Alec replied, smirking.

"Platinum. And they don't exactly like Shakespeare, ok, Alec?" Isabelle informed him. God, didn't her brother know anything? Granted, Isabelle knew Alec didn't normally take an interest in all things Downworlder, but shouldn't he at least take an interest in the likes and dislikes of the demons they hunted?

"You're plenty distracting on your own," Alec countered matter-of-factly as they entered the central hub of the institute.

"So be yourself? Is that what you're trying to say?" Isabelle teased.

"Never mind. You're looking good. Let's go," Alec answered, tired of the conversation and ready to get on with the mission already. It was his duty to find out who was draining all those mundanes of their blood and give the answer to the Clave. He fully intended to do just that.

"We're ready, Jace," Isabelle stated as they walked up to the blond haired Shadowhunter staring at a large computer screen.

"Nice choice, Izzy. Demons dig blondes," Jace greeted, turning to look at her and Alec.

"Told you," Isabelle smirked at her brother.

"It's platinum," Alec corrected Jace.

Jace tapped away at the screen. "Alright, guys. For some reason our demon friends are killing mundanes and draining their blood," he reported as they walked away from the screen.

"Why do they want blood? Isn't that vampire territory?" Alec asked, bewildered. Blood was a vamp thing, not a demon thing.

The three walked up a short set of steps. "I don't know, Alec. Lazy vampires maybe?" Jace snarked.

"There must be something special about their blood," Isabelle speculated.

"What could be special about mundane blood?" Alec returned dryly. Alec had never had a particular fondness for the race of people he was sworn to protect.

Reaching the weapons locker, Jace pulled two Seraph blades, handing them to Isabelle and Alec.

"You get me a sample and I'll tell you exactly what they're looking for," Isabelle instructed.

"We'll have more answers when we figure out exactly who the demons are working for," Jace stated, taking a Seraph blade for himself.

"So you don't think they're acting on their own," Isabelle surmised aloud.

"No," Jace answered.

"Not exactly creative thinkers. Shapeshifters," Alec pointed out disdainfully.

The three Shadowhunters returned to the central hub. Jace led the siblings to another screen. "This is what the target looks like," he informed them, pointing to the image of an older looking Asian man.

"For now," Isabelle interjected. Shapeshifters never kept any one look for long. It was what made them so challenging to track down. And Isabelle did enjoy a challenge.

"Great. I'll get approval for the mission," Alec said. The Clave would be happy to know that they'd found the demon and would be eager for them to track it down immediately.

"Come on, Alec. By the time you sent that message we'll have already killed six demons," Jace argued.

"Besides, it's always more fun to break the rules, than to follow them," Isabelle pointed out as they headed out to find their target.

Forever Young

I wanna be forever young

Do you really wanna live forever?

Forever young

The coffee house was quite crowded as Simon and Maureen performed on stage. Clary sat on a comfortable couch, a wide grin on her face as she listened to her best friend sing. She saw the longing looks Maureen cast at an oblivious Simon. How could he not see how much Maureen wanted to be with him? It was so obvious the girl was in love with him!

As the song came to an end, Clary clapped and cheered loudly for the duo. She and Simon had been friends, best friends, forever, it seemed. She couldn't remember a time when she and Simon hadn't been joined at the hip, as it were. They did everything together. She wanted to see him happy. Maybe he just needed a little push in the right direction.

"Thanks for being our roadie," Maureen said as the three loaded the van.

"And thank you for being our artist in residence," Simon added as he changed his shirt.

"Of course," Clary replied. "So... you went on stage tonight as Champagne Enema."

Maureen snorted. "What were we thinking, right?"

Simon chuckled. "But now... we're Rock Solid Panda."

"Yeah we are!" Maureen agreed, loving the name. Simon was so good at the creative stuff. She just wished he wasn't so blind to her feelings for him. It was obvious that Simon had a thing for Clary. Maureen could understand that they had the whole best friend thing going on. But it seemed like Clary was as clueless about Simon's feelings for her as Simon was about Maureen's feelings for him. GAH! How could she make him see what she had to offer?

"Rock Solid Panda, coming up. I'm feeling inspired," Clary replied, grabbing a can of spray paint from the back of the van and walking around to the side as Maureen and Simon followed with the rest of the paint. She eyed the van and quickly went to work creating her latest masterpiece. The tag came so easily, like everything she drew or painted. Art was in her blood. Just one more thing she got from her mother. She grinned as she came out of her musing and admired the finished work.

"What's that tag?" SImon asked, pointing to a strange symbol she'd painted over the RockSolidPanda tag she'd just drawn.

"Weird," Clary muttered to herself. "I didn't even mean to draw that. Second time today..."

"You know they have confirmed cases of people waking up in the morning speaking French, and they never even learned the language?" Maureen blurted out.

"You think that's some kind of language?" Clary asked doubtfully.

"Sanskrit, maybe," Maureen suggested.

Clary stood in the alley staring transfixed at the tag, trying to understand why she seemed to keep drawing this thing when a tall blond haired guy pushed past her. "Hey, can you watch where you're going?" she asked. He hadn't even paused to apologize. What a jerk!

The guy stopped and turned back to look at her. "You can see me?" he asked in disbelief.

What, did he think she was blind? What exactly was this guy's problem? "Yeah, that's kinda the point, but, you obviously didn't see me."

"You have the sight," the guy told her.

"Wait, the what?" she asked incredulously. Was he crazy or something? He was talking nonsense.

"How can I not know who you are?" he asked softly, staring at her as if trying to memorize her face or something.

Seriously? Was he trying to flirt with her now? How lame could this guy get?, she wondered. "Has that line seriously ever worked for you?" she asked, smirking in amusement. "Even once?"

"Jace!"

The blond guy turned to look over his shoulder towards the club. Was that his name?, she wondered. He turned back, taking one last intense look at her before turning and hurrying away. Ok, so apparently that was his name. But who was he? And had he seriously left without apologizing for shoving past her?

Shaking her head she turned back to Simon and Maureen. "Can you guys believe that blond dude?" she asked, her arms crossed.

"You mean the imaginary dude you were talking to?" Simon asked, looking at her strangely.

"No, the guy right there, running into the club," she answered, gesturing to that Jace guy's retreating form.

"Clary, there's nobody there," Maureen protested.

"The guy covered in tats..."

"What guy are you talking about?" Simon asked again.

"Wait, you guys seriously don't see him?" Clary asked, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. What the hell?

"No," Maureen confirmed once again.

"Can you just stop making me feel insane," Clary pleaded, not liking this conversation at all at this point.

"Could you stop acting that way?" Maureen countered.

"Clary, what was in your latte?" Simon asked, giving her that 'are you on drugs?' look. How did they not see him? This didn't make any sense.

Staring at the entrance to Pandemonium for a moment she let out a huff and started forward, unzipping and removing her hoodie.

"Where are you going?" Simon asked.

"To get some answers," Clary responded, turning to throw her hoodie at Simon.

He caught it and tried to reason with her. "Remember, your fake id sucks."

Clary entered the club and tried to weave her way through the crowd, keeping that Jace guy in her sights.

"I'm gonna go fail at getting us some birthday drinks," Simon said, causing Clary to turn and look at him.

"I'm gonna go fail with you," Maureen quickly volunteered, grabbing his arm and heading to the bar with him.

Clary barely heard them as she continued to follow that Jace guy, unaware of the attention her presence was garnering. She watched him entered another area of the bar and saw one of the two men guarding the area close the drapes behind him. What was back there that needed to be kept secret?, she wondered.

As Clary made her way closer to the area, she latched herself onto a large muscular man who was headed in the same direction. "Somebody works out," she complimented. She looked up at him and was startled by the fact that his eyes seemed to be glowing blue. "Cool contacts," she muttered to herself. Weird. She entered the back area with her escort and let go of his arm as her gaze fell on that Jace guy walking up behind a woman wearing a hot pink dress. She couldn't hear their conversation from her spot by the drapes.

Her eyes widened when she saw Jace pull what looked like a glowing sword, obviously ready to use it on the woman. "Look out," she cried, pushing the woman away from Jace. She gasped when Jace pushed her away, and she slid halfway across the floor on her butt.

"Careful," Jace told her. Everything seemed to go insane after that. The woman in the dress exploded into sparks when Jace swung the sword through her. What. The. Bloody. Hell? Her face had looked... deformed before she disappeared. There seemed to be a woman dressed in white leather who was attacking men with a whip. Was she hallucinating? Because this could not possibly really be happening, right? She hadn't had a drink yet, so she couldn't be drunk.

Jace gave her a hand up. "Are you hurt?" he asked, just before another guy grabbed him and punched him, knocking the sword out of his hands. It landed on a leather couch and the glowing blade disappeared. That's it then, she thought with a sickening dread. Simon and Maureen were right, I'm going crazy.

Clary walked over to the sword and picked it up, and was shocked when the glowing sword part reappeared. She held it in front of her. She'd never seen anything like it, but at the same time it felt familiar somehow. She was shocked when Jace pushed the guy away from him and he became impaled by the sword in her hands and the guy burst into sparks and disappeared, just like that woman with the crazy face had.

Oh my God, she thought. I killed him! Her eyes locked with Jace's for a split second. He looked as shocked as she was and he reached for the sword. But before he could take it from her, another guy attacked him.

And then, out of nowhere, yet another guy with a sword appeared. Who were these people? The guys and the girl in the white leather seemed to be a team of some kind. A team of killers. They were killing all of these other people. Her knees suddenly felt like jelly. This just could not be happening. It wasn't possible.

"Alec," Jace called out, and the other guy threw his own glowing sword to Jace, who caught it and killed the man he was fighting before throwing it back to that Alec guy. Then Jace turned back to her and grabbed his own sword from her and she let loose a short scream as they seemed to be killing even more men in a fighting frenzy.

It was all too much for her and she turned and ran out of the area, back into the crowded, normal part of the club. She was dazed and still in shock as she desperately made her way through all the other clubgoers, just wanting to get out of there. She bumped into a man, and she looked back, vaguely thinking she should apologize, and froze for a moment as she saw his face. He looked Asian. He had spiked black hair and was that glitter on his face? She didn't think she'd ever seen him before, but for just a second, she thought she remembered him. Could this night get any crazier?, she asked herself.

Shaking her head, she turned away again made a mad dash out of the club. She didn't even acknowledge Simon and Maureen as she rushed past them on her way out the door. She jumped into a parked taxi and ordered the man to drive. She needed to get home. She needed her mom to tell her she wasn't going crazy. She fought back tears and gave the driver her address as she tried to get herself back under control.

"...and then these creepy tentacles seemed to come out of the bodybuilder's face, and... and then the guy just... vaporized," Clary ranted. "I mean, I was drugged right?" Please let it be drugs. That had to be better than finding out you're crazy.

"What did the markings look like, on the blond boy you were talking about?" Jocelyn asked.

"Who cares, mom?" Clary asked hysterically. "Okay, are you even listening to me? I think I killed a guy!"

"Clary... did they look like this?" Jocelyn asked, taking out one of the heirloom things and running the tip down her arm, causing some kind of symbol to appear on her skin.

"Mom, what the..."

"Everything you saw tonight has a meaning and an explanation. And I've dreaded having this conversation with you since the day you were born," Jocelyn said reluctantly.

"Mom, what is going on? Am... am I...am I going insane?" Clary asked, fear coursing through her veins.

"No,you're not" Jocelyn stated emphatically. "But the protections are wearing off. You're eighteen now, and you need to know the truth."

"Protections, what does that even mean? Mom... mom, you're scaring the hell out of me!"

"I know, and that's why I've put this off until the last possible minutes."

Dot ran into the room. "Jocelyn, look out the window. Magnus called to warn us. They've found you."

Jocelyn looked outside. "Dot, it's time," she said frantically, moving into another room. "Okay, listen to me," she said to Clary. "You cannot be near me."

"What's happening," Clary asked. None of this was making any sense!

"I got a very powerful person angry," Jocelyn answered, rushing around the loft frantically.

"Mom, what did you do?" Clary was reaching full blown panic, by now. Her mom was supposed to be making her feel better, not make her feel even more insane.

"I hid something from him and his followers."

"Followers? Mom, why can't we just call the police?" Clary asked.

"The only policeman you need to call is Luke," Jocelyn answered firmly.

Jocelyn turned Clary around and placed a necklace around her neck. "Keep this with you and think of me when you wear it," she ordered.

"Mom, this is not the time for a birthday gift. What the hell is happening?!"

Dot returned and handed Jocelyn a green vial. "Only if you need it."

"Trust your instincts. You're more powerful than you know," Jocelyn told Clary cryptically.

"Mom, I need to understand what's going on."

"Open it," Jocelyn ordered Dot.

Clary felt like her mind was going to explode when the blue smoke started coming out of Dot's hand. And then something purple glowed from the doorway.

Jocelyn dragged her to the glowing purple thing and turned her to face her. "Everything I've done, every mistake I've made, was because I loved you more than words."

Mom, what are you doing," Clary cried.

"Luke will explain everything, he'll hide you," Jocelyn said.

"Hide me?"

"From the Circle. He's the only one you can trust. Trust no one else."

"Mom, I don't understand."

"Where's Luke now?" Jocelyn demanded.

"At the police station," Clary answered hysterically.

"Remember, I love you," Jocelyn shouted.

"Mom," Clary cried. "Mom?"

"CLARY!"

"Mom?" Clary felt a tugging sensation in the pit of her stomach and then the loft was gone. She fell on her butt and looked around. How the hell did she get to the police station?

"Clary?"

Clary looked up to see Luke's boss coming up the stairs. "Captain Vargas."

"It's two in the morning. What are you doing here so late?" The woman asked.

"Um... Luke said he'd drive me home if he was still here," Clary stumbled over the first explanation to cross her mind.

"Still doesn't trust those cabbies, huh? Well, he's in the middle of an interview, could take a while..."

"Cool, I'll, uh... I'll wait in the cafeteria." Clary turned to leave.

"Clary, is there some sort of problem?" Capt Vargas asked, concerned. "Guy trouble?"

"Yeah sure, guy trouble," Clary answered. "Its um... something like that."

tbc

please review. I need to know whether I should even continue.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own TMI or Shadowhunters

Clary moved to the stairs leading to Luke's desk, pausing when she heard voices.

"The minute we found out Jocelyn Fairchild was alive, you were easy to track."

"Fairchild?" Clary repeated, confused. Her name was Fray, not Fairchild. She looked over the railing, wanting to see who was speaking. How did that man know her mother, and why didn't he call her by her rightful name?

Clary saw Luke sitting behind his desk. A woman was sitting on the edge of his desk, and the man who was speaking sat across from Luke, dressed in what appeared to Clary to be an expensive suit. Who were these people and why was Luke interrogating them?

"Turns out you and Jocelyn were never far apart," the man in the suit continued. "The Circle has her now. It's just a matter of time before we catch the daughter."

"You can have them both if you give up the mortal cup," the woman offered.

"I don't care about either of them. They mean nothing to me," Luke answered, no hint of caring or concern in his voice.

Clary sucked in a breath, struggling to comprehend what Luke was saying. "Kill them both if you like. My people want the cup. Why do you think I've been hanging around here all these years?" Luke stood, as did the man and the woman he was speaking to. "And when I find the cup, I'm gonna keep it. And you can tell Valentine and the Circle that."

"Nobody said anything about Valentine," the woman protested loudly.

"You didn't have to," Luke returned coldly.

"Listen to me," the man inserted, pointing a finger toward Luke.

Luke slapped his hand away, pointing his own finger in return. "No, you listen to me. Get out of my office," he dismissed them firmly.

Clary ducked, sitting on the stairs, fighting for breath as fresh tears started to fall. Luke didn't care about her or her mom? How could he say those things? He'd been like a father to her for as long as she could remember. He'd been her mother's best friend. She bit down a sob at the fact that Luke had told those strangers he didn't care if they killed her or her mother.

She felt like she was trapped in a nightmare. The killings at the club, that crazy scene at the loft with her mother and Dot. And now this, this crazy thing with Luke? Her whole life felt like a huge lie at this moment. Nothing made any sense to her. Her mother had told her she could only trust Luke. But how could she, now? When Luke himself had stated that all that time he'd been in her life had been a lie. That he'd just been biding his time to find that cup thing that those Circle people wanted.

She had nowhere to turn, she realized in a panic. No one that she could trust. Where was she supposed to go now? What was she supposed to do?

"Mom, she mumbled softly, the hysteria she was feeling mounting. "Mom..." She moved to her feet and fled the police station. All she could think about was finding her mom. She stumbled out into the pouring rain, not even noticing how quickly she was soaked to the skin, or how chilled she was getting as she ran in a daze, heading to the only place she could think of going. She had to get back home. Her mother had to still be there, right? She just had to be.

Her soaked sneakers squished as she continued to run down the rain-slickened sidewalk toward her loft. Mom's fine. This isn't really happening, she told herself. Nobody would want to hurt her mother. She was a painter. Why would anyone want to hurt a painter? It's not like she was famous or anything. Sure she sold a painting here and there but it's not like they were rich.

Reaching the walkway to the shop with the loft above it, Clary slipped to a stop, staring down wide-eyed at a huge red puddle of blood in the middle of the path. Oh my God. Oh my God. OhmyGod, her mind chanted wildly. Nonononono, this isn't happening. It's not real. Please...

Her mind racing, Clary ran into the trashed store and fell to her knees as the adrenaline that had been propelling her suddenly seemed to evaporate, leaving her shaken and drained. The insanity was closing in on her, and she could see black spots filling her vision. It's not real... it's not...

"Mom," she croaked. "MOM!"

Her mind still in a fog, she got to her feet, grabbing up an axe as she moved up into the loft. "Dot?" she called, dropping the ax.

"They took Jecelyn..."

"Who? Who took her," Clary cried.

"Rogue Shadow Hunters, searching for the mortal cup," Dot answered.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Clary begged. She needed someone to make this make sense.

"Think, Clary. Did your mother ever talk to you about a cup? A very important cup. It's gold... almost like a chalice."

"No... No, I don't know anything about a cup, Dot! One of the antiquities downstairs?"

"No, not those. Think, Clary. This could save Jocelyn."

"I can't think!" Clary exploded. "Someone kidnapped my mother!"

"You know more than you think you do, Clary Fray," Dot spat, her mouth suddenly transforming. It looked just like that thing at the club earlier, and Clary freaked out. She had no idea how it happened, but suddenly she held the heirloom in her hand and she was stabbing Dot with it. Dot fell to the floor and the rest of her seemed to be changing. This isn't happening... this isn't happening... this isn't...

The thing that wasn't Dot anymore flung itself off the floor toward her and it caught her shoulder with it's deformed mouth, eliciting a cry of pain from her. Clary found herself pressed up against a pole, the thing in front of her and she closed her eyes, knowing this was the end. This thing that wasn't Dot was going to kill her.

She waited for an attack that didn't come. Instead, the Not-Dot suddenly burst into sparks and exploded, leaving her staring into the face of... that Jace guy? Oh God, it was the killer from the club! Clary just stood there, gasping for breath, staring blankly at the guy, waiting for him to finish her off.

"What, no... thank you for saving your life?" Jace asked, sounding almost offended. "Careful, that demon got a piece of you," he said, stepping toward her and cupping her face, pushing back her rain-soaked hair to get a better look at her throbbing shoulder.

"Demons..."

"Yeah. What do you think that miserable disgusting thing was?" Jace answered, as if it should have been obvious.

"I thought it was Dot," Clary answered dully. The throbbing was intensifying and her vision was blurring.

"No, Ravener demon, shapeshifter" Jace explained, his voice seeming to echo strangely in her ears.

"You're just saying words now..." She tried to focus but it was a losing battle. The black spots were getting larger, the darkness calling to her. :Wh... why is the room swirling?"

"Demon venom," she vaguely heard Jace answer.

"Is that bad..." Clary gave into the blackness, her body falling limply into Jace's arms. The last thing she heard was Jace's voice, as if from a great distance.

"I've got you."

A dull purple haze.

Her mother... floating in the middle of the air, bathed in a blueish light.

A tall man, standing over her floating mother, with an intense look upon his face. "Jocelyn, you're back with me."

The man had one of those heirloom things in his hand and he bent over to draw a circle on her mother's neck, making her mother cry out in pain...

Clary bolted upright, bumping hard into something as she did so.

"Ow"

"Sorry." Clary looked over to see a girl with long black hair sitting on the edge of her bed. "Wait, I don't know you."

"I'm Isabelle. I've never seen Jace so curious about a mundane. Or distracted. Like you saw earlier, distractions are dangerous in our line of work."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Who's Jace?" Clary asked, feeling so confused.

"You really don't know much, do you?" Isabelle asked.

"All I know is, some psychos have taken my mother, and now you people have taken me," Clary answered softly.

"And by taken I assume you mean 'saved your life'," Isabelle rebutted.

"The mundane shouldn't even be here."

Clary looked up as the two men from the club entered the room. Oh God, the killers! Why did Jace bring her here? Was he going to kill her too?

"She is not a mundane, Alec" Jace countered.

"How do you know that?" Alec asked.

"Because the seraph blade lit up when she touched it," Jace replied, waving his arm at Clary.

Clary, for her part, was staring from one man to the other, trying in vain to follow their conversation. Just like everything else that had happened to her tonight, this made no sense to her either. It was just one more thing in the long list of things that made it onto that list.

"Isabelle, can you..." Jace continued. He took the spot she vacated when she stood up. "I'm Jace Wayland," he told her softly, introducing himself to her.

"I'm... uh,"

"Clary... Fray. We know who you are," Jace interjected.

"Am I the only one who finds this unusual?" Alec asked, turning his face toward Jace as he spoke.

"You find everything unusual, Alec," Jace countered.

"I have to report this to the clave," Alec declared.

"You know what? Just... dial it down a notch."

"My brother doesn't have a dial. I love you, Alec, but you have a switch that's always on," Isabelle pointed out.

"I love you too. But this just..."

"You know what," Jace cut him off quickly, raising a hand toward Alec. "Give me a minute. Here's a word you never hear me say: please?"

"What is with you?" Alec demanded. "No really, what is with him?" he turned the question on Isabelle.

"Walk with me, big brother," Isabelle ordered gently, taking his arm and leading him out of the room. Clary found herself following his progress. "I'll explain it to you."

"We don't know this girl. There's no such thing as new shadow hunters," Alec pointed out, sounding frustrated.

She was still so confused about everything that was happening tonight, but Alec's reaction to her seemed to be the most... normal, to her. She didn't know any of these people and they didn't know her. She couldn't blame Alec for being suspicious. Why was it that Jace and Isabelle seemed so quick to accept her presence? And was it really a good thing that they did? These people were killers, after all. And as far as she knew, she was the only witness to their crimes. Were they just trying to lull her into some false sense of calm? Maybe they wanted to make sure she hadn't told anyone what she'd seen before they killed her too.

"Your wound, it's healed," Jace said, drawing Clary's attention to her shoulder. There was no sign of any wound on her shoulder.

"How is that even possible?" Clary asked in disbelief. "So what, I'm miraculously healed and all of you... stunning people have... magical powers?"

Jace chuckled. "No, don't confuse me with a warlock."

"A what?" Clary asked.

"A warlock. It's... one of the downworlders," Jace answered, looking at her in confusion.

"Okay, you're not making any sense," Clary said, frustrated.

"Warlocks, vampires, seelies..."

"Really, my brain is about to explode."

"Geez, alright, well, I'll keep it simple for you. All the legends are true," Jace answered. "We're shadow hunters. We protect the human world from the demon world. So those... people... that you saw murdered at the Pandemonium, they weren't people at all. They were shape shifting demons."

"I'm not interested... in being part of your supernatural fight club," Clary declared. "I just want to find my mom. The rest of it, all of it... all I care about is finding my mother. Please... please, help me find her."

Jace kept his gaze locked with her as he answered. "I'm the best chance you've got."

Why did that thought scare her so much? Oh, right... the guy was even crazier than she was. He believed in all this crazy stuff with demons and vampires. And what did that say about her, considering she'd just begged him for help finding her mom?

"I don't even know you..."

Clary's cell phone ring tone broke the gaze as she leaned down to get it. Seeing the screen, a tiny piece of reality entered as she realized it was Simon calling. He'd be able to help her make sense of everything. She answered the phone quickly, more than ready to get off this crazy train she'd been riding all night.

"Simon," she answered in relief, so grateful to be able to hear his voice.

"How come you haven't answered your phone in two days," Simon demanded.

Two days? "Things are... all over the park," Clary answered vaguely.

"Where are you? Find my friend says your phone is in an abandoned church on Dighten. I'm outside."

Clary rushed to the window to look outside. "I see you," she breathed.

"Well, I don't see you," Simon grumbled.

"Give me five minutes, I have to get dressed."

"Dressed? What are you doing undressed in an abandoned church? Clary, do you have a meth problem we need to talk about?"

"Simon, just... give me five minutes ok?" She hung up and turned to Jace. "Um, what happened to my clothes?"

"Demon venom. Remember?" Jace answered. He pointed to the chair behind her. "Isabelle left you these."

"You're kidding right?" Clary asked, inspecting the outfit and picking up a boot.

"She's very comfortable with her body," Jace replied with a grin.

Clary went behind the changing screen and put Isabelle's outfit on. She looked at herself in the mirror and moved her hair away from hr neck, revealing a strange symbol on her neck. What the hell? She turned back to Jace. "How did that get there?" she demanded angrily.

"I drew that," Jace answered simply.

"Ok, listen. I still don't get everything that's going on here, but you do not tattoo my neck. That's creepy." Clary wondered if this night was ever going to end.

"Duly noted," Jace answered. "I guess next time, I'll just let you die."

Clary looked at him, feeling stunned once again.

"And it's not a tattoo. It's a rune. They have enormous power. Good for Shadow Hunters. Lethal for humans. But you, you know all about runes, don't you?" he demanded, turning her opened sketchbook toward her, pointing to the strange symbols she's drawn there.

Clary just looked at him blankly. "Or maybe you don't," Jace continued, his eyes gazing questioningly into hers. "Which is what makes you so interesting, Clary Fray."

Jace walked with Clary toward the entrance to the church, escorting her to find her friend. Clary eyed his sword warily.

"I saw something behind your friend," Jace informed her as he noticed her look.

"You're not going to kill Simon, are you?" she asked warily.

"Protect the Humans. Kill the demons," Jace intoned. "You'll get it eventually."

They exited the church and Clary made her way down the stairs, looking at Jace. "So, why can't Simon see you?" she asked.

Jace lifted his shirt, exposing a rune to her eyes. "This is a Glamour. A rune that makes me invisible to mundanes. It's a shame really, because I'm denying them all this," he smirks cockily. Clary just stares at him for a long moment, not fooled for a second by his devil may care attitude. What a player! Definitely not her type of guy. At all.

"What are you wearing... Clary?" Simon asked, sounding quite disturbed. "Let me take you home." He placed his jacket around her shoulders, trying to cover her up.

"I don't think I have one anymore," Clary answered softly.

"What do you mean?" Simon asked, confused.

"Well..."

"Clary Fairchild!"

Clary whirled around to face the man she'd seen at the police station talking to Luke. She gasped when Jace came up behind the man and disarmed him before placing him in a headlock.

"Clary, what's going on?" Simon asked. "What are you looking at?"

"Give us the girl, and I'll let you live," the man offered.

Jace tightened his grip. "You're in no position to be making demands."

The man jerked his head back into Jace's face, breaking the hold as he and Jace began to fight.

Clary didn't even feel Simon's hands gripping her shoulders as she watched the battle unfold before her.

The man pulled a sword, swinging wildly at unarmed Jace before they both grappled for the blade. Jace managed to turn the blade into the man's body, tugging him close.

"We'll never stop coming for her," the man grunted into Jace's ear, causing Jace to scowl deeply at the implied threat. He was a shadow hunter. There was no way he would allow any harm to come to the girl he'd already saved more than once that night. She was his responsibility now. And Jace would do whatever it took to keep her safe from harm.

"This is for my father," Jace hissed as he drove the blade through the man's chest.

"Jace!" Clay cried as she pried herself away from Simon, crossing to the man before her.

"Excuse me?" Simon called, befuddled.

"Is he dead?" Clary asked, pointing at the man laying at her feet.

"Is who dead?" Simon asked. His eyes widened as the dead man suddenly appeared before him. "What the...?"

"Could you deglamourize or whatever so my best friend doesn't think I'm losing my mind?" Clary demanded.

When Jace became visible to Simon he gulped deeply. "Um... what is happening?"

"We don't have the luxury right now, kid. Everyone back inside," Jace replied.

"Clary, who is this, your meth dealer?" Simon asked, lost.

"I've seen him before," Clary told Jace as he headed toward the stairs. "At the police station."

"He's a member of the Circle. Clary, he's here for you," Jace told her. He needed to get her inside before any more problems showed up.

"He's with the people who took my mother," Clary insisted.

"Right. Your little friend there led him right to you. He's here to capture or kill you," Jace replied.

"There's a dead body there," Simon said, pointing. "We have to call Luke."

"No, we can't trust Luke, Simon. We can't," Clary stated adamantly, fighting back tears.

"Clary, I need to keep you safe," Jace insisted, meeting her gaze again. "I promise you. I promise, I am gonna help you find your mother. But, you're one of us. You're a Shadow Hunter."

"What are you talking about? Clary. You don't know this guy. Alright? Come with me. I can get us help."

"Clary, please," Jace asked again.

"Clary come on," Simon urged.

Clary looked between the two men surrounding her, before closing her eyes, weighing her options. One, the boy she'd known her whole life. The other, a man she'd only met a few hours ago. A man she'd seen kill. But also a man who had saved her life multiple times tonight. Who was she supposed to trust? Who was her best hope of finding her mother, and her best hope of staying alive?

Taking a deep breath, opening her eyes, and looking once more between them, she made her choice.

tbc...

please review. I write faster if I know people are enjoying it. And anyone who does leave me a review will get a sneak peek of an upcoming chapter.


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